


Just a Peck

by Tygerrtygerr



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Snowball Fights, mistletoe antics, oblivious angela
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 07:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13208562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tygerrtygerr/pseuds/Tygerrtygerr
Summary: A harmless Christmas prank was just the help Angela needed to help her realize what was right in front of her.





	Just a Peck

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dliessmgg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dliessmgg/gifts).



> Aaaaahhhh. This is my pretty darn late secret santa gift to the wonderful [ Dliessmgg ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Dliessmgg/pseuds/Dliessmgg) ! Sorry, it's so late (you deserve so much better orz) but I mean, you know what they say about saving the best for last right, ;) Hopefully you enjoy!

Angela isn’t sure how she found herself in this predicament.

She had been minding her own business amongst everyone else in the common room. A few others were putting up Christmas decorations to get the room into the holiday spirit. Angela had been curled up on the sofa reading her book in the midst of it all. It offered a nice break from the lonely silence of her office or the lack thereof in the medbay where she’d have to deal with everyone’s grievances.

Fareeha was doing some sort of decorating with Hana. Mei and Zarya were also off to the side doing something festive. Lucio was in the background practicing Christmas songs on his keyboard, and low, idle chit chat harmonized on top of it. It was soothing, in a way, just sitting in the ambience.

At least it was until she had been pulled out of it.

The ambience now was far from soothing, as most of the attention was on her and the taller Egyptian next to her. If only she had known she had been walking into such a setup. She wouldn’t have even bothered putting her book down. But when Hana had beckoned her over to where she was hanging decorations with Fareeha and Lena, Angela had thought little of it. When Hana and Lena suddenly had to go only mere seconds after inviting her over, there were still no flags to be risen. Instead she started some small talk with Fareeha about her decoration ideas, the two women the last thing on her mind.

She should have known better, but she didn’t. Which was why her gaze fell from the device above her and Fareeha to the two women handling it. Her eyes narrow at both Hana and Lena for such childish schemes. This was clearly a trap, and Angela walked right into it.

“Mistletoe on a stick? Really?”

“You gotta do it, doc,” comes Hana’s urging. No doubt this was her idea. Lena most likely joined in for the shits and giggles.

“Hana, this is cheating. A clear violation of the rules.”

“There are no rules but one, Angie, and it’s that you gotta do it,” Lena pipes in.

Angela glares at them both and their wide, anticipating grins. She didn’t miss the hushed laughs from the other occupants of the room who clearly were just as interested in seeing how this scene would play out. Through it all she can hear Jesse’s snickering distinctly from the rest, which irks her just a little more than anyone else.

Her eyes dart around the room before settling on the one person who hasn't said word since the whole thing started. Fareeha was looking pointedly at a fixed spot on the floor and the darkened tint on her cheeks was just barely noticeable by the doctor’s keen eyes, even with the dim lighting of the room. She was clearly a little flustered about the situation as well, but she had yet to voice an opinion.

Angela could only assume she was so embarrassed she couldn’t even manage to protest against it. Something about their complete lack of disregard for how Fareeha felt about being put in such a situation struck a nerve in Angela. She promptly faced Hana and Lena with every intention of telling them about themselves, her mouth already open in anticipation of her words, when a gentle weight was placed on her shoulder.

She turns to find a sheepishly smiling Fareeha, beckoning her closer to whisper in her ear. When Fareeha pulled back their eyes met, Angela’s in slight confusion and Fareeha’s in reassurance. “It’s just a peck,” she mouths to her. Or at least that’s what Angela made out from it.

At the end of the day, that is exactly what it would be anyway; just a simple peck on the lips. It’s not like Angela hasn’t kissed anyone before. Hana could’ve paired her up with literally anyone else in the room so it could’ve been a lot worse. She might as well just suck it up and get it over with.

Angela sends another glare to the younger girl who smiles in triumph before admitting defeat. “Fine, but I’ll get you back for this you two.”

Going into it she was pretty nonchalant, her mind set on just getting it over with so she can get back to her book. Yet, when she closed the space between them and her gaze tilted up to the face of the taller woman, Angela suddenly felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. Her heart had began a heavy thumping against her chest and, while she had plans of being the initiator, she found she could only stand there frozen, brows knit in minor confusion of this sudden change of emotions.

Even so when Fareeha leans forward, chin gently held between thumb and forefinger, and closes the distance between them with her idea of a ‘peck’, Angela could only feel her skin tingle and her eyes slide closed as she relaxed into it. The peck of a kiss that lingered a lot too long to really be considered one, not that Angela was complaining. She quickly found her hands wanting to latch onto something and her mouth wanting to move against Fareeha’s soft lips, but before such a thing could happen she had pulled away, leaving Angela in a slight daze.

A brief applauding and cheering, accompanied by a loud whistle that she knew came from a certain cowboy, brought Angela back to the present. She looks up at Fareeha who smiles softly at her, and for some reason the simple act creates a heat in her cheeks and forces her to look away.

“I hope that wasn’t as terrible as you thought it might be, doctor,” she chuckles, and her laughter only further intensifies the odd feelings Angela found herself experiencing. Her heart was still beating a little faster than it should be, her face was still set aflame and no doubt held a tinge of crimson, and her lips still tingled from Fareeha’s touch.

“N-no, it was fine,” she stammers.

Suddenly, she’s all too conscious about Hana and Lena’s giggling behind her and quickly excuses herself from the group.

 

* * *

 

It was strange.

It had been a couple days later since that fateful prank. Everyone seemed to be going about their days as if the kiss had never happened. Everyone except Angela, at least.

She couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

She found herself constantly thinking back to that moment. If she thought hard enough she swore she could still feel Fareeha’s lips against hers. Just catching a glimpse of the woman sent her heart aflutter. It didn’t help that Hana always seemed to be around whenever it happened. Her constant teasing and giggling did little to help her, and if anything only further intensified her reactions. It also didn’t help that she’d always give her this look, as if she knew something that Angela didn’t.

Angela had spent a many moment trying to figure out the cause for her sudden nervousness around Fareeha. Nothing really had changed between them other than that kiss, but that couldn’t possibly be the reason because it was just that. A kiss. That alone should not be enough to suddenly have her feeling so nervous when around the other woman, though, but it was enough to have her feel so as she went through her end of the year physical exams.

Fareeha was her next appointment.

Angela sits at her desk, her fingers drumming against the metal as she waits for her patient to show up. She sighs and leans back in her chair, willing it into her brain that this would go just like every other physical she’s given Fareeha. Nothing would be different.

The sound of the door’s auto lock opening caught her attention as the automated doors slid open and the subject of her thoughts entered the room.

“Sorry, I’m late,” she apologizes as she enters the room.

Angela stands to meet her with a smile. “Don’t worry about it. I have Jesse scheduled after you and we all know he won’t be on time, if he even shows up at all.”

They both share a small laugh as they move over to the examination table where Fareeha promptly lifts herself up to sit before removing her shirt in one swift motion. It definitely isn’t the first time Angela has had her sitting on her table topless, but the words she had to say became caught in her throat regardless at the sight of her.

“Hey, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I had no idea they were planning something like that, and it wasn’t right for them to put you on the spot like that.”

Angela smiles at the fact that Fareeha is more concerned about her even though they were both placed under the spotlight. “You don’t have to apologize. It was out of your control.”

“I know, but—“

“Ah, ah. No buts. It’s in the past now,” she states, hoping Fareeha would leave it at that. “It was just a kiss anyway, right?”

“Right…”

“Good. Now let’s get started.”

Angela found she was a little more nervous than usual. The way Fareeha’s muscles would unknowingly flex whenever she moved her arms cause some minor slip ups on Angela’s part. She could barely hold any eye contact with the woman for more than a brief second. Not to mention the feeling of her eyes watching her every move left her figuratively sweating bullets. It didn’t help when Fareeha’s next words rang in here ears.

“So was it good?”

Her brow raises as she writes some notes down on her chart. “What?”

“The kiss. Was it good?”

Her question sounds serious but the ever present smirk on her face makes Angela believe she’s simply messing with her. Either way it gets her thinking about it once more, and Angela hates how her cheeks heat up to their usual shade of red. She responds with a heavy tap on her knee with the reflex hammer, despite already having done so earlier. Fareeha gets the hint with some light laughter, and apologizes as Angeal continues her exam. Other than that, things still went smoothly. So far Fareeha was proving to be in the best of shape, and Angela had expected no less, really. Soon enough, the last thing she needed was a blood sample and it would all be over.

However, that blood sample was proving to be a lot harder to get than it should have been.

“Ow.”

“Sorry.”

“Ouch.”

“Scheisse!” the blonde curses as she pulls the needle out empty for what had to be the fourth time now. For whatever reason she just couldn’t hit the vein, most likely due to her nervously shaking hands.

“It seems like you’re having some trouble, doctor,” Fareeha quips, but Angela pays her little mind.

“No, no I got it this time.”

She lines up the needle with the vein, mentally berating the minor tremble in her hands. Why wouldn’t they stay still? Somehow she thinks it has something to do with Fareeha’s cheeky question earlier.

Her other hand holds firmly onto Fareeha’s bicep and she was more than thankful for the barrier her gloves made between their skin. Carefully she pushes the needle in once more, aware of how Fareeha flinches, but only ends up missing the vein for a fifth time.

In all her lifetime she’s never had so much trouble sticking someone with a needle. Fareeha wasn’t afraid of needles (thank goodness), but that didn’t mean she was a fan of getting poked over and over again, either. Despite it all, she was still relatively calm about Angela’s continuous failures.

“I can call my mother over to do it. She’s taken blood before.”

It was a simple suggestion, and what was probably the best option other than simply doing it later. Somehow the thought of asking for help with something Angela knows she can do, irritates her though. But really, what other choice did she have? She would very much rather get the blood now than having to get it some other time.

As they wait for backup to arrive Fareeha puts her shirt back on, much to Angela’s relief. She herself makes herself look busy by staring at her clipboard, but in reality she was eying Fareeha with her peripherals the entire time, watching how well toned abs moved as she slipped the fabric over her head. It struck her then, as she noticed her rising heart beat and the sudden dryness of her throat, just how gorgeous a human being Fareeha is. How had she never noticed before how stunningly good looking she is?

Fareeha’s sudden voice brings her back from her thoughts. “If you keep staring at me like that, I might start to think you like me, Doctor.”

Angela’s face turns beet red as she literally buries her face into her clipboard, embarrassed she was caught ogling. Ogling? Is that really what she had been doing?

The med bay doors opening once more snapped her from her thoughts as Ana strides into the room. Its rather embarrassing for Angela to explain the situation to her, but after filling her in she stands by idly as Ana does her job with a lot more precision than she ever could have done it in those past few minutes. It wasn't long after that when Fareeha made her leave and it was only Angela and Ana left in the room.

She knew the older woman was going to say something.

“So what is it about my daughter that has you so out of it that you can't manage something as simple as drawing blood?” Ana asks as she hands her the vial.

“It’s n-nothing,” she mumbles back, taking it and hastily making her way to put it away. Even though she did notice how differently she felt around Fareeha, she truly did believe it to be nothing. Unfortunately, a certain elder Amari wasn’t quite buying it.

“It’s interesting how oblivious you are to anything that isn’t your work, Angela.”

“What?”

“All these years of medicine and I’ve never seen you so flustered.” Ana only shakes her head. “I’ll leave you to figure it out on your own,” she chuckles as she leaves, and normally that wouldn’t have bothered Angela. Except this time, if only for a moment, she caught the look Ana had given her and it was the same look she’s been seeing Hana throw her whenever Fareeha was around. This look that says they both know something she doesn’t. That there is something Angela is missing. Something that clearly must be rather obvious, too.

The more she thought about it the more it began to really irk her, urging the blonde to take a seat at her desk and play back Ana’s words in her mind. She didn’t have a ton of degrees and certifications to not be able to figure this out. So she spends the rest of her day locked away in her office going over everything she could remember since she started feeling this way.

It isn’t until many hours later as she’s barely managing to fight away the tendrils if sleep, that something Fareeha said earlier sparks the imaginary lightbulb in her head.

“If you keep staring at me like that, I might start to think you like me, Doctor.”

“...might start to think you like me.”

And then it all made sense.

“I like Fareeha…”

 

* * *

 

“I like Fareeha,” Angela whispers after taking a sip from her coffee cup. Gloved hands kept her fingers warm from the freezing cold touch of the metal.

“We know,” comes a voice from besides her, after taking a sip from their own cup.

Both Angela and Mei were standing right outside one of the exits to base, all bundled up as they watched everyone work on shoveling snow from important pathways. They both were watching a certain two people in particular, who had clearly made a competition of the labor to see who could shovel the most snow. Neither Zarya nor Fareeha were wearing a coat either, clad simply in their long sleeved thermals. For Zarya who grew up in the cold Angela wasn’t so worried, but for Fareeha who wasn’t too fancy about the cold, she knew she’d regret it later when nursing herself a cold. She didn’t want to complain too much, though. As they were providing quite the entertainment for the doctor and scientist.

“I can’t believe I never realized… and everyone knew but me.” She sighs into her drink. Her eyes watching the strain in Fareeha’s biceps as she pushed against a particularly large pile of snow.

Every since she made this discovery so many things made sense. The mistletoe had been a setup from the very beginning. Whether Fareeha was in on it or not, Angela wasn’t too sure, but she knew it was planned. The kiss they shared was the trigger to making Angela aware of the way she felt around Fareeha.

“Not everyone,” Mei consoles. “Oddly enough, Fareeha is just as oblivious as you are.”

Somehow that small bit of information made Angela feel a little better, a small relieved smile on her face. Fareeha catches her line of sight then, both her and Zarya finally finished their battle. She was leaning over her shovel for support as she recovered, and waved over to the blonde with a tired smile.

Angela blushes. Thankfully, they were far enough away that she was sure Fareeha couldn’t see it. A somewhat dreamy sigh followed by an “Isn’t she so cute?” from besides her pulls her attention to her friend.

She agreed that, yes, Fareeha did look cute as she held casual conversation with her pink haired friend. Her smile was just as blinding as the bright white of the snow around them, and once again Angela found herself wondering just how she never realized she held such feelings. However, after a few more moments of watching, Angela was sure that Mei wasn’t talking about Fareeha.

That would have to be a topic for another day, Angela deciding it would be best to get back to work. After bidding Mei farewell she heads inside, just barely making it down the hall before she’s stopped by a voice calling her name; and it’s just her luck that Fareeha was the one calling her.

“Angela, wait!”

“Fareeha,” she greets with a smile, not that she could have helped it or not.

“Hey, I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming out to play in the snow with us a little later?”

“Play in the snow?” She also couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her. “Aren’t we both a little too old to ‘play in the snow’, Fareeha?”

“Nonsense. Everyone’s gonna be out there. It’s gonna be complete modern snowfare,” Fareeha tried to persuade her. “It’s not like it snows often around here, especially this much. We all decided it would nice to just enjoy it.”

Angela listened but somehow her face didn’t seem all that convinced, forcing Fareeha to continue. “If not for me, at least come just to watch the shenanigans. Where’s your holiday spirit, Doc?”

The cheeky smirk she threw in to finish off her proposal sent another one of those sudden pangs through Angela’s chest. She did have work that needed to be finished and she was very tempted to lock herself away to finish it, but it was behavior like that which had her in the situation she was currently in. Plus, she couldn’t even try to deny how badly she wanted to pounce on the opportunity to do just anything with Fareeha.

“I’ll come, I’ll come,” she relents, warming up at the triumphant grin Fareeha gives her. “But only if you promise me you’ll be wearing a coat. You’ll get sick going out there like this.” She nods toward the long sleeved thermal Fareeha is wearing.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to bundle up properly for this. I may have Canadian blood flowing through my veins, but I’m still partial towards the cold.”

“You didn’t look too partial while you were out shoveling.”

“Of course not. I couldn’t let Aleks see my weakness… Were you watching me, doctor?”

Caught, the familiar heat of embarrassment creeps into Angela’s face with nowhere for her to hide. “You don’t have to call me doctor when I’m not actively behaving as your doctor, you know.”

It was a half assed attempt at avoiding the question. She assumed it wouldn’t work but was thankful when Fareeha took the bait. “Right, sorry. I should go get changed, though, but I’ll see you later right, Angela?”

A smile, just as bright and wide as the one Fareeha gave her. “Yes, I’ll see you later.”

With that Fareeha slips past her to leave, turning back around to announce her next words with a sly wink, “It’s a date,” leaving an even more flustered Angela standing in the halls.

 

* * *

 

What had she gotten herself into?

Not only was she hidden behind a snow bunker, her back pressed so close against Fareeha’s that she wished the fabric of their coats weren’t there to separate them, but she had also found herself in the middle of a battle scarier than anything she faced out on the field. Modern snowfare, Fareeha had called it? This was more like Counter Strike Snowball Offensive. When she had been roped into joining their snowball battle, she had expected a friendly, playful fight, but what she was experiencing now was anything but. Everyone was playing for blood.

Someone had taken the time to build an actual battlefield out of snow, equipped with snow structures, covers, bunkers, you name it, Everyone was wearing three targets on their bodies. One on their chest, one on their backs, and much to her dread, one on their heads. The adrenaline Angela was experiencing was too real to that which she felt on real missions.

So far the most threatening teams seemed to be the Hana/Lena duo and the Ana/Bastion combo; trio if you counted Ganymede who was no doubt fluttering around with them. The latter was mind boggling to Angela considering how big of a target the omnic was. His footsteps were heavy even in the snow and occasionally they could hear Ganymede chirping one tune or another. The fact that they weren’t out yet meant they had to be doing something right.

Their last encounter with the duo they had barely managed to escape. Bastion’s barrage of snowball bullets was hard to avoid, especially with Ana sitting atop his shoulder directing his fire. They probably wouldn’t have made it out alive if not for the arrival of Zarya and her teammate Mei, another two formidable foes, the former who clearly had a personal goal to eliminate the omnic from the game.

Angela releases a shaky breath as she leans further against Fareeha in exhaustion. “I had no idea this is what I would be signing up for.”

“Me neither really, but this just adds to the fun of it all.”

“And the stress of it all,” Angela quips, earning a light push from Fareeha behind her.

“Come on, it’s just like any other mission.”

“Hmm, then I suppose I’ll be patching you up as usual.”

The silence she gets in reply is all she needed to know Fareeha was grinning behind her at her playful jab, and, oh, how she wished she could see her face in that moment. She didn't have much time to dwell on it, as they both heard the approaching footsteps and chirping of their most powerful foes. They must have defeated Aleks.

“Put your security in my hands?” she hears Fareeha’s voice ask from behind her.

Blindly, as they still were not facing each other, Angela reaches with a glove clad hand to find Fareeha’s own. “You sound a little too serious for a snowball fight, but you know I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They could only share a short laugh before they were discovered in their hiding spot and forced to escape. Their fight against the sniper/omnic pair was an uphill one during which Angela lost both her back target and her chest target, but with Angela’s support they managed to take the duo down. With a well organized attack with Fareeha as bait, Angela managed to land the killing blow with a snowball to the back of Ana’s head. Something she knew she would pay dearly for in the near future.

As Ana and Bastion sulked off of the battlefield together, the older woman comforted the omnic who was beep blooping a series of sad tunes, his feathered friend joining in with melancholy chirps. Angela did feel a little bad. Bastion always did give off the demeanor of a little kid more than anything, so she couldn't help but sympathize with him. It was short lived however as she began her short jog over to where Fareeha stood to celebrate their victory. The triumphant smile she wore despite her exhausted breaths sent a warmth through Angela that made the cold around them obsolete. For a moment she forgot that they were still in a ‘battlefield’.

That moment was just the opening needed for Hana who was peeking out of hiding, snowball in hand and a gleam in her eye as she plotted for the remaining target on Angela’s head. From there everything seemed to go in slow motion from the look of mild terror on Fareeha’s face, to Angela turning around to find Hana lining up her shot.

This is it. This is where I die. The last words to come to Angela’s mind as she accepted her fate.

Just as fast as everything seemed to slow down, everything suddenly sped up as Angela felt herself being pulled to the side. Her eyes widened as she watched Fareeha take her place, and what had to be one of the most perfectly formed snowballs in existence land smack across the front of her face. Angela could have sworn her head, followed by her entire body, was knocked to the side from the impact alone as she fell into the snow. Tears formed in Angela’s eyes from Fareeha’s noble sacrifice, and she wasn’t sure if she was shouting ‘Noooooo’ out loud or in her head.

In a last ditch effort Angela quickly gathers up snow in her own hands as Hana tries to reload, blindly throwing it her way as a small distraction as she grabbed Fareeha and dragged her behind the closest cover they could find.

Doctor mode was engaged as soon as Angela saw her eyes were closed, unsure really whether the force of a snowball could actually give someone a concussion or not. Frantically, she began to wipe the snow from her face, having removed her gloves.

“Fareeha, noo, stay with me,” she cries, as she tries to shake her awake. “You idiot, why would you do something like that?”

Why were snowballs so powerful? Did she need a doctor? Well, she was a doctor… but out of all the injuries she’s treated, none of them were a snowball to the head. She wasn’t sure how to handle this. The panic is just about ready to settle in for real when suddenly she can feel Fareeha’s body tremble beneath her hands. Before she could really question it the woman bursts out into laughter, eyes squint shut and head rolled back. There had never been a deeper frown set on Angela’s face.

“Angela I’m— I’m so so s-sorryy,” she manages inbetween her laughs. “Your reaction was just priceless, and when you dragged me away—” She was cut off my more laughter, all the while Angela sat on her heels next to her, arms folded in minor annoyance. She had really been worried. True, it had only been a snowball, but she head felt a worry in her heart that was nothing like anything she’d ever felt before.

Fareeha’s laughter, while not as hard as before, was still annoying her. Her eyes narrowed as she took a fistful of snow and threw it at her face.

“Hey!”

Fareeha grabs her own handful of snow to throw Angela’s way, earning a shocked gasp from her. “Why are you throwing snow at me?” she exclaims, already gathering her next fistful.

“Because you threw snow at me!” Fareeha exclaims back as she pushes herself upright.

“That’s because you wouldn't stop laughing!”

“I couldn’t stop laughing because it was funny!”

They argue back and forth, tossing snow at each other all the while. The actual snowball fight, was long since forgotten as they ended up getting into their own miniature snow battle. It wasn’t until both Hana and Lena found them and effortlessly took out the rest of their targets that they remembered just what they were doing. Even then they could only burst out into laughter at the irony of it all.

 

* * *

 

The automated sound of the fire simulation crackling filled the room joined by the sweet scent of two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Both Angela and Fareeha sat in front of the fireplace shaped heating system Winston had made for the lounge room. They couldn’t install an actual fireplace so a heater shaped one with functioning fire hologram would have to do. Either way, the heat it gave off was just as real as any other fire place so neither of them had any complaints.

After losing the snowball battle the two had stayed out in the snow just a little longer, both intent on ending their own fight. It wasn’t until they realized just how cold they were and just how late it was getting that they decided to head back inside. Having grown up in the cold, Angela didn’t feel its effects too badly. Fareeha on the other hand, was still shivering, even despite the warmth radiating towards them, the warm mug in her hands, and the blanket around her shoulders.

Angela couldn't help but smile into her mug at her occasional shivers. It was cute.

“Man, my hands and toes still feel like icicles,” Fareeha whines, rubbing around the outside of her mug.

“I’m not sure how your hands could possibly still be icicles when its holding a literal heat source,” Angela laughs. As if to further prove her point, Fareeha sets her mug down on the floor in front of her and reaches over to touch the back of her hand against Angela’s cheek. The action causes her to jump slightly, surprised both by the fact that her hand was honestly freezing and by the weird tingle the contact created. “How is that even possible, Fareeha, you poor thing.”

Angela takes the hand in between both of hers and the reaction is instant as Fareeha almost literally melts at the warmth. “Your hands are so warm,” she comments, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice when she pulls away.

“To match my warm heart, of course.”

Fareeha smirks at her remark. “Do you think it has enough warmth for two?”

“And why would it need enough for two?”

A moment of silence, instead of the reply she was expecting, was enough to have Angela look over to the woman besides her, only to find her holding one end of the blanket open in an inviting gesture. She felt the heat rise in her face and the familiar fluttering in her stomach at the invitation. The thought of being so close both appealing and frightening at the same time. Not wanting to leave Fareeha hanging any longer, Angela scoots over until she's close enough that Fareeha can wrap them both in the blanket.

“Ah, that's much better,” she admits with a sigh.

Meanwhile, Angela is struggling heavy with the desire to lay her head on Fareeha’s shoulder, conveniently placed at just the right height and just close enough to her head that she knew is would make such a perfect pillow.

“You can get comfortable if you want,” Fareeha suddenly offers, as if she was all to aware of Angela’s internal struggle. It was just the push she needed to finally lay her head down. Her own content sigh escaped her lips as they both relax into each other, their bodies seemingly fit perfectly together.

“Today was fun.”

“It was. Thanks for coming out, Angela. I think today was one of the most fun days I’ve had all week. I’m not sure what kind of gifts I’ll get for Christmas, if I even get any at all, but so far I’d say the small time we spent together is the best gift I could've asked for.”

Angela turns to look up at her. A mistake, she would come to realize as their faces were so close and Fareeha’s eyes were so warm and inviting. She hadn’t had thoughts of their kiss for a while now, but suddenly it was all coming back to her and the desire to feel those lips against hers once more was planted into her core.

“I feel like… I owe you something for all this. Even now, you’re here keeping heating me up with your big warm heart,” Fareeha laughs.

If only you knew you have me just as heated.

Angela shakes her head. “Today was just as much a gift from you to me as it was a gift from me to you, Fareeha. Stop trying to be extra.”

They fall into silence once more, simply watching the holographic flames and enjoying each other’s presence. Not once during this time does the fluttering in Angela’s stomach stop. But how could it when they were so close? When her mind constantly replayed their kiss over and over again in her head, and she wanted nothing more than to do it again? What better time would there be than now?

A light pluck on forehead snaps her from her thoughts and she looks up to find Fareeha looking down at her, an amused smile on her face that only further fueled the feelings already burning inside her. “What are you thinking so hard about?”

What was she thinking so hard about? There was nothing she needed to think about, not when she had all the answers right in front of her.

“Fareeha…” She looks down at her now empty mug, placing it onto the floor. It was now or never, right? She shfts under the blanket so that she’s partially facing her, hand curling and uncurling in her lap. Her brain tries to think up what she should say to her, how she should come out and say it. However, in the end, it was action that helped her see what she had been missing all this time. What better way to do it than through doing?

“Close your eyes.”

She noticed Fareeha’s brow lower in confusion and had expected a question of some sort or another. She received nothing of the sort. With a look that wordlessly told her just how much Fareeha trusted her, she straightened up and closed her eyes, waiting patiently for whatever Angela had in store.

Her heart was beating just as fast, if not faster than it did on that day. As quiet as it was in the room, she was certain there was no way Fareeha couldn’t hear it. With a light exhale she leaned forward, inching closer and closer, heart thumping all the while, until she finally closed the distance.

Just a peck.

Her lips linger longer than they should have, just as Fareeha’s did that day, before she pulled back and was met with chocolate orbs. Her own eyes searched them for the answers she was looking for, and she was given them in the form of Fareeha’s hands on her face as she brought them back together. As surprised as she was, Angela had no complaints. Her hands which quickly needed to hold onto something landed on her biceps before sliding their way up to her shoulders as she lost herself in the movements of their mouths.

When they finally broke apart, Angela had to fight the urge to go in for a third. She had been waiting for this moment for days, playing it out over and over again in her head, and it was nothing like how she had imagined it. Especially when she hear the first chuckles of laughter coming from Fareeha.

Angela gave the woman a questioning look as she hunched over, face in her hands to try and stifle her laughter. When she sat up straight and their eyes met was when she noticed Angela’s confusion.

“I’m sorry its just…” She takes a moment to collect herself. “Hana swore that you had a thing for me, and that if I just asked you out or something you’d say yes. I didn’t believe her and I guess she wanted to prove her point, which led to the whole mistletoe prank. Even though you went through with it I was still skeptical…But it was true.”

Angela smiles, relieved that her laughter wasn’t for some other reason. “I actually only realized because of the mistletoe prank. I was so shocked that I hadn’t noticed before,” she laughs herself a little.

“I guess we were both a little oblivious, huh?”

The two share a few laughs together at the irony of it all, each taking the time to explain their own sides of the story well into the night until Angela’s attempt to stifle a yawn signaled it was probably time for bed. As they stood up to leave, passing under the door Angela stops them, smiling sheepishly at Fareeha’s confusion and pointing up to the doorway where a piece of mistletoe was hanging.

Maybe it was a little childish, considering everything they just talked about, but Angela didn’t care. Something about them both sharing a kiss under the mistletoe the right way. Not under the guise of some cheap gimmick. She couldn’t explain it, but it was something she just felt she had to do.

“You know, you could just ask for a kiss whenever you want right?”

“I know, but—”

Her words are interrupted as familiar fingers hold light onto her chin and the warmth of Fareeha’s lips are on hers once more. It was short and concise, yet everything Angela wanted.


End file.
